Floating safe



lies, if it has sunk. the means illustrated in the accompanying UNiTnn TaTns PATENT Fries.

JOHN B. MARSHALL, OF NEWT BALTIMORE, NEV YORK.

FLOATING SAFE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 433,580, dated August 5, 1890. Application inea July 17,1889. seria No. 817,769. (No man.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may concern.:

Be it known that I, JOHN B. MARSHALL, of New Baltimore, in the county of Greene and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Floating Safe for the Preservation of Records on Shipboard, of which the following is a specification.

In many instances of marine disasters there is no record of the fate of the ship or those on board of her, for the reason that no provision is made for conveying such intelligence to others who may pass over the same course within a reasonably short time, and as a consequence the fate of all aboard and of the ship itself is shrouded in impenetrable mystery, and in very many eases much useless and vexatious litiga-tion arises therefrom.

The object of my invention is to provide suitable and reliable means for thepreservation of a ships records in case of accident and to designate the place Where the vessel This object I attain by drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of this specification, and in which- Figure l is a side elevation of 1ny invention, with parts of the frame for holding` it broken away to show underlying parts. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the floating safe detached from the frame, and Fig. 3 is a plan View of the same.

As representedin the drawings, A designates my floating safe, which is made of sheet metal, preferably in an ellipsoidal form and with its major diameter arranged vertically. Said safe is provided with an opening in the upper section for the purpose of obtaining access to the'interior of said safe,and said opening is fitted with a door B, which closes upon an elastic seat C, which is preferably made of india-rubber, so as to form an air and water tight joint at that point. Said dooris preferably secured bymeaus of a screwbolt D; but any suitable fastening may be substituted for said bolt.

E is a visible signal, which is secured to the top of the floating safe for the purpose of at tracting attention thereto. Said signal is made with flat wings arranged in vertical positions, and preferably made of some glittering metal, or of metal covered with gilding, silvering, or colors that will quickly attract attention.

F is a weight secured to the bottom of the floating safe for the purpose of maintaining the latter in an uprightpositiou while it is in the water, andan eye l is fixed to said weight, so that a rope 2 can be attached thereto. Said rope should be made of wire, and it is preferably connected with the weight by means of a destructible lashing 3, formed of paper cord or other material that will loose its tenacity when soaked in water, so that in case the vessel sinks in a depth of water greater than the length of the rope, and therebycause a submergence of the safe, the lashing will give way and permit the safe to rise to the surface 0f the water.

G is a frame in which the safe is preferably held on shipboard,and it should be constructed so as to leave the safe perfectly free to receive a rising movement therefrom when occasion requires. Said frame should be located on a vessel in a position where no obstruction can be interposed to prevent the safe from rising freely therefrom. The lower end of the rope 2 can be attached to said frame or to the adjacent part of the vessel, and said rope may be arranged in a coil or wound on a drum beneath the safe. f

H is a bag or sack in which the ships records are preferably placed inside of the safe for the purpose of preserving them from chafing by rubbing against the sides of the safe when the latter is subjected to a swaying movement. .Said bag may be suspended from an eye or hook 4,which should be fixed in the top inside of the safe.

All the ships records, including the daily log, passengenlist, names of the crew, and all other necessary information, should be placed in the safe A, and care must be taken to have the latter at all times in a closed condition, ready in case of accident. Then when the latter does occur, the safe A will rise to the surface of the water, so that the visible signalE will be readily seen by the people on board of a vessel passing in the neighborhood, and an examination of the contents of the safe can be made, so as to ascertain the' name of the vessel it belonged to, and such other information as has been deposited therein, whereby the anxiety of friends and the public may find relief from the state of uncertainty with which such cases are usually attended.

ICC

do not confine myself t0 the exact form of the floating'. safe herein shown and described,

nor to the materials described therefor, as I am. aware that such form and material may be changed in many different ways to produce an identity of operation. s

/Vhat I claim as vmy invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a floating safe, the combination of a buoyant air-tight vessel provided with an opening having a hermetical closure, a removable bag` suspended Within said vessel, a Visible signal attached to thefupper. end of said Vessel, and a pendent weight attached to the lower end of saidvessel,said bagbeingadapted to contain a ships records and preserve them from being chafed byabrasionwith said vessel,- as andfor the purpose herein specified.

2. The combination of a floating safe containing an air-tight chamber, a rope or other flexible fastening for securing said safe to a ship or other Vessel, and a destructible lashing which forms part of said fastening, as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. The combination of a floating safe containing an air-tight chamber, aframe for holding said safe so as to leave it free to float, a rope or other flexible fastening for securing said safe to a ship or other vessel, and a destructible lashing which forms a part of said fastening, as and for the purposeherein specified.

,JOHN B. MARSHALL. Witnesses:

WVM. H. LOW, S. B. BREWER. 

